Dark Trinity: X-Men actors MCU should keep and dump

Like I mentioned in yesterday’s post, it’s time to discuss who’s needs to stick around for the MCU from Fox’s X-Men universe. Remember this post when in two weeks everyone’s writing this same frigin story.

Before going through everyone, one quick note. The MCU has done an amazing job of casting characters. Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth and so on. All awesome. So I trust their judgment . . . for the most part.

Before going into who Disney SHOULD keep, a quick note on a couple actors who need to go…

Ian McKellen as Magneto – Don’t get me wrong, he’s an absolute legend. One of my favorite actors ever. One of my favorite actors in my lifetime, given he played Magneto AND Gandalf. But here’s the thing, you stick him next to a Charles Xavier that isn’t Patrick Stewart, it’s just not going to work. Superhero movies wouldn’t be where they are without him, but unfortunately, his time has ended as Magneto, if this move is final.

Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique – I understand people might think this is an off-the-wall opinion. She’s a good actress. The character’s likeable. So what’s the problem? Mystique is NOT A GOOD GUY. I enjoy this version of Mystique, but what we’re seeing is not who she really is, Fox just changed the character because of who portrayed her. And if you keep Lawrence on board, it’ll be hard to change the way the character behaves.

There’s one guy who’s in the middle ground for me. As much as I want to see him in the MCU, Hugh Jackman is getting up there in age. Other than being tall, HE IS WOLVERINE. Which makes this decision hard, because you want a wolverine you can use for years to come. If you wanted to jump ahead with some Old Man Logan stories, that might work well. Then you could somewhat justify casting someone else as young, middle-aged Wolverine, much like McKellen and Michael Fassbender or Stewart and James McAvoy.

Tough decision, no doubt. Glad I don’t have to make it.

Another weird one is Quicksilver. If he’s gonna stay dead, I guess there aren’t issues. But theses are comic book characters. C’mon. It’s like saying Superman won’t come back for the Justice League Movie.

Also, Channing Tatum, assuming the movie goes though, is getting his tryout. Perfect timing. Because if he sucks, I KNOW the MCU won’t screw up the best character in all of Marvel.

Alright, time for the KEEPERS…

7. Alexandra Shipp as Storm – She’s certainly not the most important person on the list, but I appreciate her acting from the Apocalypse movie. She has legitimate potential. While I wouldn’t fully guarantee her the job, it should be hers to lose.

6. Haley Ramm as Jean Grey – Much more likeable in this role versus the role that made her famous, Sansa Stark. Even though Sansa’s much more likeable, I digress. ANYWAYS, she’s done a good job so far as Jean Grey, seems like she learned a bit from Famke Janssen portrayal – at least pre- Last Stand – so I appreciate that. No reason to replace her, plus she has the look. And she adds the prospect of brining in random fans, with the whole Game of Thrones association.

5. Kodi Smith- McPhee as Nightcrawler – I’ve never heard of this actor in my life, but it seems he’s got Kurt Wagner down to a T. Awkward, kind, heroic, compassionate. Kid gets it and should not be removed from the role.

4. Olivia Munn as Psylocke – Now I don’t know quite as much about Psylocke as most. I’ve seen her in the X-Men ’92 series and the new revamping of the Astonsihing X-Men. Seems like a cool character, with an edge. An edge and attitude similar to what we’ve seen Munn bring to the table in other roles, and her brief portrayal as the telepath. Her name recognition is another reason to keep her around.

3. Dafne Keen as X-23 – The kid absolutely stole the show in Logan. Total badass. The MCU may not get to her character for a while, but when they do, they need to stick with Dafne Keen.

2. Michael Fassbender as Magneto – When I look at all the castings across the Marvel movies, and even DC for that matter, I feel like this is still one of the best. Magneto’s someone we’ve seen at an advanced age more frequently in the comics, but the raw emotion we get from Fassbender embodies the Master of Magnetism perfectly. And he’s one of the best Marvel villains, if not THE best, so you can’t afford to screw around with his casting.

1. Ryan Reynolds as Ryan Reynolds . . . I mean as Deadpool – Although I’m very familiar with Magneto, as well as Storm, Nightcrawler and Jean Grey, I’ve learned more about Wade Wilson than any of these characters. His books are great and never ending. SO trust me when I saw there’s nobody better suited to play Deadpool than Reynolds at this point in time. May be the best casting of a superhero. I’ll o over that list at some point, but he’s definitely in that discussion.